Installation for Grouping Containers Which Have a Circular or Ovoid Cross-Section and are in the Form of Packs

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to an installation for grouping containers ( 1 ) which have a circular or ovoid cross-section and are in the form of packs ( 17 ) in staggered columns prior to their covering, comprising means for arranging said containers ( 1 ) in the form of staggered columns, characterized in that said installation comprises means ( 18 ) for pushing at least one of said containers ( 1 ) that are arranged in a staggered manner so as to create, by rearrangement, an additional column ( 21 ) in the pack ( 17 ).

The invention relates to the handling and packaging of containers which have a circular or ovoid cross-section, such as glass or plastic bottles or metal cans or tins of food.

Substantially cylindrical containers, in any case those which have a circular or more or less ovoid transverse cross-section, such as glass or plastic bottles or metal cans or tins of food, are often shipped to clients by packing plants in the form of packs containing multiple such containers, wrapped in a plastic film. These packs often comprise 6, 8, 12, 24 or more containers.

Most often, the containers are positioned in contact with each other in rows and columns forming a matrix, i.e., with successive rows and columns strictly facing each other. In such an arrangement, the containers at most have 4 points of contact with the immediately adjacent containers. However, it is easy to see that the higher the number of containers, the more difficult it is to keep such an arrangement “in a matrix”, as the stability of the pack becomes insufficient. The containers tend to be arranged in what will be referred to hereafter as “staggered rows”, i.e., in which each row or each column is offset by a half-diameter of a container relative to the immediately adjacent row or column. This movement of the containers deforms the pack, and the plastic film then only wraps it loosely. The containers can then escape.

One way around this problem consists of positioning the containers, before they are coated by the film, on a tray having rims, or on a plate, which more or less prevents the containers from moving. The film covers both the containers and the plate or tray. However, this solution is expensive and complicates the packaging of the packs. The problem also arises of recycling the plate or tray after the pack is unwrapped, as it cannot follow the same path as that taken by the plastic film.

These drawbacks often lead to avoiding packs containing a large number of containers positioned in a matrix.

In some cases, the choice is therefore made to arrange the containers in staggered rows, deliberately, before they are covered by the film. Packs are thus obtained which of course do not have a very regular perimeter, but the plastic film remains in contact with all of the containers situated at the periphery of the pack. Experience shows that they may nevertheless be rigid enough, once covered, to be able to be transported without risks of a container escaping from the pack. To that end, it suffices for the film to grip the containers with which it is in contact with enough pressure. This pressure is transmitted by the containers subjected thereto to the containers with which they are in contact through the 6 points of contact that each container has with its neighbors, and generally the pack then is then rigid enough without it being necessary to position the containers on a plate or tray.

For example, for a pack of 24 containers, an optimal arrangement in terms of rigidity and bulk of the pack consists of distributing the containers in seven successive columns of 3, 4, 3, 4, 3, 4, 3 containers, respectively.

To that end, the containers arrive jumbled or in columns in the packaging installation. They are then distributed in staggered rows, naturally or in a forced manner, in orderly columns. Rows of containers are isolated that are stacked on each other for example using suitably configured guides, so as to distribute them in alternating columns of 3 and 4 containers. The covering is then done.

Document WO-A-98/45186 describes a packaging method resulting in packs of containers positioned in staggered rows. The containers arrive in the installation positioned in columns each containing a predetermined number of containers, which is initially different depending on the concerned column. A pushing system with shims offsets every other column relative to the neighboring columns, then lateral guides grip the columns to create an arrangement in staggered rows where columns alternate between having an even number of containers and an odd number of containers. The end columns of the pack have an even number of containers, which, for a pack of 24 containers, does not correspond to the aforementioned optimal arrangement in which, on the contrary, the end columns have an odd number of containers.

Document US-A-2010/0012462 describes a device for packaging containers that results in the optimal arrangement cited above for packs of 24 containers. It, however, requires positioning the containers in clearly delimited corridors to facilitate their arrangement in staggered rows, and the offset of the columns by pushing means takes place in those corridors, before two lateral guides grip the containers on one another to give them their final arrangement.

In general, the packaging devices described above, as well as the similar devices of the prior art, have the drawback of being mechanically complex. They require two ordering and prior selection systems for the containers, which distribute them in columns whereof the number of containers must be carefully individualized and controlled, since the columns are each consumed at a different rhythm. If this number is not controlled, there is a risk of supply defects for certain columns: the columns that empty fastest will not always be able to be resupplied appropriately. The installation is therefore complex to manage. Additionally, the method cannot be adapted to any existing packaging machine initially designed to produce packs in a matrix.

The aim of the invention is to give packagers for substantially cylindrical containers the possibility of easily producing, in a manner that can be adapted to any packaging installation, containers according to the optimal scheme in staggered rows described above.

To that end, the invention relates to an installation for grouping containers which have a circular or ovoid cross-section and are in the form of packs in staggered columns prior to their covering, including a conveyor belt bringing the containers in packs onto a mat, a moving belt including pushing means bearing shims and means for positioning said containers in staggered columns, characterized in that said installation comprises means for pushing at least one of said containers that are arranged in a staggered manner so as to create, by rearrangement, an additional column in the pack.

Said means for pushing at least one of said containers may be made up of a retractable pushing member positioned on one side of the installation.

Said means for pushing at least one of said containers may be made up of a pushing member accompanying said pack in its progression during said rearrangement.

The installation may include means for stopping the movement of the pack during said rearrangement.

It may include walls for delimiting the travel of the pack, and one of said walls locally has an offset separating it from the other wall to allow the creation of said additional column in the pack.

As will have been understood, the invention first consists, in a known manner, of producing an arrangement of the containers of the pack in staggered rows using a system of pushing means with shims and, optionally, lateral guide walls, or any other functionally equivalent means, then pushing at least one of said front containers of the pack so that, as it comes closer, a suitable offset of the containers is obtained. To that end, the lateral walls, if they are present in the zone where the offset takes place, must allow that offset on one of the sides of the pack, so as to allow the formation of an additional column of containers in the pack. The result is that the final pack has alternating staggered columns, in some cases including a number n and a number n+1 of containers in two adjacent columns.

The invention will be better understood upon reading the following description, provided in reference to the following appended figures:

FIG. 1 diagrammatically shows a profile view of one example of a packaging installation for cylindrical containers according to the invention;

FIG. 2 diagrammatically shows the same installation in top view;

FIGS. 3 to 8 show different examples of arrangements of containers that may be produced by the device according to the invention, at different stages of their obtainment method, based on the number of containers contained in a pack.

The installation according to the invention for packaging containers 1 in packs of 24 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 traditionally includes a conveyor belt 2 that brings the containers 1 onto a mat 3 which may optionally be stationary (if the containers 1, when pushed, can move thereon with little friction, therefore without being unbalanced). It also includes a moving belt 4 situated above the mat 3. This moving belt 4 includes a certain number of pushing means 5 bearing shims 6, the function of which will be seen below.

When the containers 1 are on the conveyor belt 2, they are positioned in rows 7 and columns 8 (there are 6 such columns 8 in the illustrated example). The columns 8 are embodied, preferably but not necessarily, by walls 9 defining corridors 10. The columns 8 may each have an equal number of containers 1. Unlike in the installations of the prior art shown by WO-A-98/4 526, it is not necessary to manage the installation so that the number of containers 1 making up each column 8 is strictly individualized. This therefore makes managing the supply of the device according to the invention much simpler.

After the containers 1 have been deposited on the mat 3 by the conveyor belt 2 in the form of columns 8 and rows 7 generally forming a more or less strict matrix 11, the back row of the matrix 11 is put in contact with a pushing means 5 and its shims 6, the shims 6 being situated across from a column of containers preferably (but not always necessarily) alternating, every other one. The pushing means 5 and the shims 6 convert the matrix arrangement 11 of the containers 1 into a staggered arrangement 12, due to the fact that the shims 6 cause the columns 8 of containers, which they give a length substantially equal to a half-diameter of the container 1, to move forward. Each container 1 of the rear part of the pack positioned in staggered rows 12 is therefore in contact either with pushing means 5 or with a shim 6, two containers from adjacent columns from the back of the pack preferably (but not always necessarily) being one in contact with the pushing means 5, and the other in contact with a shim 6.

In the case illustrated in FIG. 2, it is shown that each pushing means 5 includes, at one of its lateral ends, a shim 13 which initially is not in contact with any container 1. Its function will be seen later.

In the illustrated example, the pack 12 in staggered rows continues its progression on the mat 3, pushed by the pushing means 5 and its shims 6, the containers 1 being kept in the corridors by the walls 14. At a given stage of the progression, the walls 14 are interrupted, with the exception of the most lateral walls 15, 16, which begin to converge so as to grip the containers 1 against each other, while maintaining their arrangement in staggered rows. A staggered pack 17 is thus obtained in which the containers 1 of adjacent rows and columns are directly in contact with each other.

Then, according to the invention, a retractable pushing member 18 situated on one of the sides of the belt 3 exerts pressure on one 19 of the containers 1. In the illustrated example, this is the most frontal row of the staggered pack 17 that is closest to the pushing member 18. Under the combined effect of this pushing and the progression of the pack 17, several containers 1 gradually shift relative to one another while remaining in contact with each other. Additionally, the lateral wall 16 situated on the side across from the pushing member 18 has an offset 20 moving away from its symmetry 15 situated on the side of the pushing member 18, so as to allow an additional column 21 to be created during the offset of the containers 1 of the pack 17. This additional column 21 may come into contact with the shim 13 of the pushing means 5, which was unused until then and which may then, like the other shims 6, contribute to moving the pack 17. A new staggered pack 22 of 24 containers 1 is thus formed, in the illustrated example having 7 columns of containers 1 respectively having 3, 4, 3, 4, 3, 4 and 3 containers 1, alternating with a configuration that guarantees compactness and maximal stiffness of a pack of 24 containers 1. This staggered pack 22 subsequently then needs only be wrapped in a plastic film according to the typical practice.

The examples of FIGS. 3 to 8 show the evolution of the arrangement of the containers 1 of the pack over the course of its progression in the installation according to the invention, for packs including 24 containers 1 (FIG. 3), 28 containers 1 (FIG. 4), 32 containers 1 (FIG. 5), 30 containers 1 (FIG. 6), 35 containers 1 (FIG. 7) and 40 containers 1 (FIG. 8). Of course, these examples are non-limiting. It will be noted that in the case of FIGS. 6 to 8, the two columns of the final pack 22 that were closest to the pushing member 18 have the same number of containers 1. Thus, systematically alternating columns of n and n+1 containers 1 is not, in the spirit of the invention, an absolute generality for all arrangements. Additionally, it can be seen that in certain examples, it is not necessarily a container from the most lateral column or the most frontal row that must be pushed to obtain the targeted arrangement. Lastly, not all of the illustrated cases require the presence on the pushing means 5 of a shim 13 that is initially unused.

In the described example, the pushing member 18 must be retractable so as to exert its action only at a single moment during the progression of the pack 17, and on a single container 19 of that pack 17. A non-retractable member 18 would successively act on several containers 1 of the most lateral column 8 of the pack 17 during its progression, and the desired effect would not be obtained.

Advantageously, the pushing member 18 may be movable in the direction of travel of the pack 17 during the rearrangement so as to accompany the container 19, on which it exerts its force, over part of its progression. Such a characteristic is particularly recommended when the containers have a relatively large weight and their sliding on the mat 3 is done with a friction that may slow their movement.

In addition to or in place of this mobility, the pushing member 18 may exert its action on several of the containers 1 of the most frontal row of the pack 17 to facilitate the movement of all of the concerned containers 1.

After the movable pushing member 18 has performed its function, it is returned to its initial position to exert its action on the next pack 17.

One alternative solution to that described above consists of rearranging the pack 17 while the latter is no longer moving on the belt 3, and equipping the installation with the a pushing member exerting an action on several of the containers 1 of the pack 17. The progression of the pack 17 may be stopped by stopping the progression of the mat 3 (if the latter is movable), and in all cases by stopping the progression of the belt 4 bearing the pushing means 5.

The presence of the walls 15, 16 in the area of the installation where the rearrangement of the pack 17 is done is not necessarily essential. It is only advised to guarantee stability and good distribution of the containers 1. The most important point is for said rearrangement leading to the creation of an additional column to be possible, either because the wall 16 across from the pushing member 18 has the previously described offset 20, or because at that point, the wall 16 is not or no longer present, which leaves the containers 1 free to shift as desired. The choice between these various solutions may be made based on the ease of movement of the containers 1, in light of their weight and the coefficient of friction on the mat 3.

Of course, the installation for grouping containers in the form of packs according to the invention may be integrated into a container packaging chain having a greater number of functions beyond the simple arrangement of the containers.

One advantage of the invention is also that it can easily be adapted to practically any traditional installation for packaging containers in the form of matrices.

In the illustrated examples, the containers 1 have strictly circular transverse cross-sections at their points of contact. However, the invention would also be applicable to ovoid containers, therefore allowing them to be easily arranged in staggered columns, in which each container 1 (except those on the periphery of the pack 17) is in contact with six other containers 1. 

1. An installation for grouping containers which have a circular or ovoid cross-section and are in the form of packs in staggered columns prior to their covering, including a conveyor belt bringing the containers in packs onto a mat, a moving belt including pushing means bearing shims and means for positioning said containers in staggered columns, wherein said installation comprises means for pushing at least one of said containers that are arranged in a staggered manner so as to create, by rearrangement of the pack, an additional column in the pack.
 2. The installation according to claim 1, wherein said means for pushing at least one of said containers are made up of a retractable pushing member positioned on one side of the installation.
 3. The installation according to claim 1, wherein said means for pushing at least one of said containers are made up of a pushing member accompanying said pack in its progression during said rearrangement.
 4. The installation according to claim 1, further comprising means for stopping the movement of the pack during said rearrangement.
 5. The installation according to claim 1, wherein the installation includes walls for delimiting the travel of the pack, and in that one of said walls locally has an offset separating it from the other wall to allow the creation of said additional column in the pack.
 6. The installation according to claim 2, wherein said means for pushing at least one of said containers are made up of a pushing member accompanying said pack in its progression during said rearrangement.
 7. The installation according to claim 2, further comprising means for stopping the movement of the pack during said rearrangement.
 8. The installation according to claim 2, wherein the installation includes walls for delimiting the travel of the pack, and in that one of said walls locally has an offset separating it from the other wall to allow the creation of said additional column in the pack.
 9. The installation according to claim 3, wherein the installation includes walls for delimiting the travel of the pack, and in that one of said walls locally has an offset separating it from the other wall to allow the creation of said additional column in the pack.
 10. The installation according to claim 4, wherein the installation includes walls for delimiting the travel of the pack, and in that one of said walls locally has an offset separating it from the other wall to allow the creation of said additional column in the pack. 